Once disregarded when discussing urban revitalization, Kansas City is now forging a new identity that is characterized by its deeper goal to reinvent urban life as well as skyline improvements. Particularly on the Kansas side, where investment has been flowing with notable speed, a number of transformative projects have quietly started to reorient the culture and trajectory of this metro area in recent years. A second civic awakening is being sparked by the city’s use of public-private partnerships. The Midtown Station development, one of the most anticipated projects, blends retail, community facilities, and solar-powered homes. It serves as a model…
Author: foxter
James Jones’s return to the architecture faculty at Kansas State marks a significant shift in academic design culture toward human-centered mentoring, which continues to be incredibly successful in forming future professionals. In addition to paying tribute to his accomplishments, his appointment as Professor Emeritus continues a legacy cultivated over many years and seamlessly integrates it into the studio’s everyday routine. Jones is particularly well-known for promoting architecture as a science and an art. He is currently returning to the College of Architecture, Planning & Design. His approach has always challenged students to create more than just structures; it asks them…
The early hours of Sunday morning were abruptly interrupted by gunfire on a peaceful stretch of North Wichita. An apparently routine car stop descended into a dangerous pursuit that resulted in the injuries of two police officers and the incarceration of three suspects. This incident brought the cost of public service into sharper focus in a city already struggling with increases in youth violence and officer fatigue. The car was stopped close to Rosenthal Avenue and W. 24th Street North. Officers came forward, probably anticipating the customary exchange of information. Rather, it was reported that the suspects inside suddenly started…
Although they wear uniforms that are purposefully stitched, their hearts are frequently drawn in different directions, missing bedtime stories, recitals, and family dinners. Few people outside the emergency corridor fully comprehend the challenge faced by Kansas’s EMS volunteers, especially those in rural areas like Anderson County: saving lives while gradually observing their own personal lives fall apart. Volunteers and full-time emergency responders work tirelessly throughout the 586 square miles of Anderson County. To meet increasing call demands, the county uses all of its resources, including four ambulances, an emergency SUV, and a specially modified off-road UTV. Volunteers are the silent…
More than 20 state legislatures in the United States were stepping up to oppose President George W. Bush’s contentious plan to send an additional 20,000 troops into Iraq, while the Senate struggled with a stuttering anti-war resolution in early 2007. Coordinated, outspoken, and remarkably bipartisan, this state-level opposition was more than just a side issue in Washington politics. It was a sign of changing public sentiment, a reflection of local responsibility, and a strikingly novel declaration of federalism that upended established hierarchies. This opposition campaign, which was coordinated by the Progressive States Network, developed quickly and deliberately. Two weeks later,…
Although discussions about animal abuse have grown dramatically over the last ten years, there is still a startlingly large disconnect between public awareness and enforcement. Billions of animals are at risk because many nations continue to operate under antiquated or nonexistent laws. The harsh truth is that political unrest, cultural norms, and financial incentives all contribute to the continuation of abuse and neglect, especially in countries where accountability is virtually nonexistent. Cruelty is not only institutionalized but also accepted in China. The contentious Yulin Dog Meat Festival is supported locally even though it causes outrage on a global scale every…
In the last ten years, American healthcare has become more and more like a complex obstacle course, designed to be confusing, slow, and drain anyone who attempts to navigate it. Even though the country has some of the most cutting-edge medical procedures and pharmaceutical advancements, these advantages are still restricted by obstacles that are frequently administrative, political, or financial. Millions of Americans now have to battle a system that appears, at best, fragmented—and at worst, purposefully inaccessible—in order to get care. The US healthcare system is disjointed by design, functioning more like a collection of rival markets than a single,…
In contrast to the long-held notion that juvenile crime was declining, the United States has seen a startlingly sharp rise in juvenile criminal behavior in recent years. There has been an unsettling upward trend, especially since 2016. By 2022, the number of child homicides had increased by 65%, and the prevalence of firearms in these cases is particularly concerning. Once thought to be distant from childhood, these weapons have infiltrated young lives with devastating regularity, now appearing in 84% of teen homicides between the ages of 11 and 17. A narrative of overlapping crises—one influenced by trauma, social neglect, racial…
Known for his innovative repurposing of retail spaces, Dan Thompson developed a framework that is remarkably applicable to today’s shopping culture, which is influenced by erratic foot traffic, increasingly skilled shoplifters, and constantly changing consumer behavior. In its most basic form, Shop Safety for Dummies serves as a guide for anyone entering a retail setting, not just store owners. You are surrounded by possible risks from the minute you set foot on polished tile flooring in department stores to negotiating small aisles in claustrophobic pop-ups. Unattended inventory, overloaded carts, low-hanging signs, and spilled drinks are not uncommon hazards that are…
The proposed coal-fired power plant near Holcomb, Kansas, was blocked by Roderick L. Bremby, signaling a very obvious shift in American environmental policy. For the first time, a U.S. state publicly rejected a building permit for energy infrastructure because of the anticipated climate impact of carbon dioxide, not because of local pollution or air pollutants. Although environmentalists praised that action, critics saw it as a direct result of what they called “media warm-mongering”—a media narrative that, in their opinion, encourages policy overreaction through persistent climate anxiety. Kansas established a legal precedent that affected the energy markets by concentrating on carbon…